


Fool me once

by thatgirlwhowrites



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Post-Canon, Protective Jughead Jones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-28 13:39:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14450418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatgirlwhowrites/pseuds/thatgirlwhowrites
Summary: "You should know,Betty," he starts,his voice laced with the smallest bit of hurt,"I can tell when you're lying to me.""Jug..""We said we weren't gonna push each other away anymore.You promised,Betts."Or,when the Black Hood targets Betty for a second time,Jughead Jones is clear on one thing: He's not going to lose his girlfriend again.





	Fool me once

She switches her phone off before climbing into bed; doesn't want to risk waking up to the horrible sound of _him_ calling her again.

Betty can practically feel Jughead's frown when she lies facing away from him,but can't risk looking at him; can't risk spilling her guts about everything that's happened.

 _He killed my brother,he deserves whatever the Black Hood does to him,he killed my brother,_ plays on loop in her head but it feels strangely like a lie.

Jughead's hand wraps around her waist and she fights against the tears gathering in her eyes.

When he questions,"you okay?" she can feel his breath on her neck. _I'm a monster_ ,she thinks. _I don't deserve to be lying here with you._

"Of course." She lies."Just sleepy."

She can tell he can tell she's lying but he doesn't press further,ever patient,ever considerate.

As she allows the patterns he's tracing on her arm to lull her to sleep,all she can think is, _how did I end up here again?_

 

 

There's a gun pointed at her head.She's back in the graveyard but this time, _he_ doesn't want her to bury Archie.He wants her to bury Jughead.

"No!" She cries. "Please,just let him go."

"Do as I say,Betty.I know you have it in you."

"No,I don't! Please,just leave him alone.Please."

He drops the gun from where it's touching her forehead but before she can even breathe in a sigh of relief,he aims it at Jughead.

"Stop! Stop,stop,stop! I'll do anything.Don't shoot,please don't shoot."

He pulls the trigger.

 

 

She can hear her name somewhere in the distance,the single word becoming more urgent with each repetition.Only when she jolts,sitting up in bed does she realise that she's sobbing,violently.Jughead is calling her name,frantically trying to pry open her hands which have clenched into fists.When he succeeds,the blood she didn't register was there transfers onto his fingers and her cries become louder. _She's such a mess._

"Shh,Betty,calm down,baby.You're okay; it was just a dream.I need you to take deep breaths.Count to 10 with me,can you do that?"

She doesn't reply,her entire energy being focused onto keeping her fingers straight in his.

"1," he says. _I'm so sorry,_ she thinks.

"2," _I don't want to lose you--I_ can't _lose you._

"3," she exhales shakily,repeating the number.

"Good,just like that.Four." She counts with him,till her breathing is almost even and her eyes aren't so glassy anymore.

He holds her in his arms for a few moments after,but she knows the quiet won't last long.He takes in a sharp breath and drops a kiss to her hair before pulling back.

"You should know,Betty," he starts,his voice laced with the smallest bit of hurt,"I can tell when you're lying to me."

"Jug.."

"We said we weren't gonna push each other away anymore. _You promised_ ,Betts."

Her eyes fill with tears once more and she blinks them back furiously.When a stray tear escapes down her cheek,he wipes it away so gently that her breath catches in her throat.

"I was giving you the space I thought you needed,letting you come to me when you're ready,but.." He pauses,choosing his words carefully,"You're clearly not fine.Please tell me what it is so I can help.Please,just let me help."

 _I just want you to be safe_ ,she wants to say but is abruptly struck by the awful realisation that she's uttered those words before.

"I'm sorry." She says instead,"I lied to you.Earlier - I lied."

"So tell me the truth now."

She's helpless to do anything but comply,so she does.

"It wasn't my dad who was calling me before.It was.." Her heart is beating rapidly against her chest and when she continues,her voice breaks."It was the Black Hood."

He jumps off the bed so suddenly that _she_ gets whiplash.His eyes are steely and there's so much hatred in the blue there,where there's normally love and adoration,that she's startled.

"What?" He demands.She knows he heard her but she repeats herself nonetheless.

"The Black Hood called me again.He's,he's asking me to do things for him again and I'm scared,Jug.I don't know how far he'll take it this time."

He holds a hand out to her and when she takes it,standing up,he pulls her against him with so much desperation in the force he's putting on her body that she's momentarily worried about her ribs breaking.

She doesn't voice her concern,however; she figures he needs this. (She needs it too)

"I won't let anything happen to you. _That son of a bitch_ ,I won't let him do anything to you,Betty." He promises.She believes him.

"It's not me I'm worried about."

"I'm not going to let anything happen to _us_ ,either.You're not--I'm not losing you to him for a second time,Betty.You believe that,right?You trust me?" His eyes are gazing into her,pleading and _God_ ,she needed to hear that.

"Of course,Juggie.You're the one thing I do trust right now,even more than I trust myself.I've,uh,I've not been making the best decisions as of late."

"We'll figure it out,Betts." He assures,rubbing soothing circles on her shoulder."It's you and me against the world.And other such clichés."

Despite herself,she laughs.Her heart feels a little lighter and in that moment,she's so thankful for Jughead Jones because he is her anchor.

**Author's Note:**

> 02×19 was hard on all of us in more ways than one so here's hoping this soothes some of that pain.  
> Sorry if you feel like the ending was abrupt,but the story was supposed to be about Betty and Jughead and them communicating.  
> If you enjoyed this and have a moment to spare,please leave a comment!


End file.
